Should we age our Tuscan Sangiovese? Let’s try one with a bit of age and see how it’s developing.
Aging Tuscan Sangiovese
I continue to experiment with aging various regions/varieties to find my sweet spot for these wines. Mostly, I’ve been trying wines at 10-15 years of age from the vintage year to see how they’ve evolved and what their futures look like. Some of these have a history of mid to long term aging while others don’t. Sangiovese definitely has a history of ageability.
The caveat in all my previous reviews of aged wines is that most wines aren’t meant to be aged, and everyone needs to find their own sweet spot according to their palate and food pairing. This will depend on how much acid, tannins and oak you can tolerate, how much primary fruit you like vs. how much tertiary notes you prefer and the overall balance, integration and expressiveness of the wine wherever it’s at in its stage of development.
In addition, ageability (length of evolution/keep-ability) depends on many factors like the producer’s winemaking style choices/trends, variety, terroir, and vintage.
Sangiovese itself is not the most tannic grape on average compared to other age worthy varieties like Nebbiolo or Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s more medium-bodied and moderately tannic comparatively. However, it does have high acid and usually undergoes some type of wood aging, whether they be traditional, used large containers or small oak barrels.
When talking about Sangiovese from Tuscany, there are different regions and levels of quality and ageability. Chianti Classico Riserva generally ages better than Chianti Classico, for example. More affordable Rosso di Montalcino is meant to be drunk younger than Brunello di Montalcino too. Still, it can also depend on the quality of the vintage. For example, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019 are all considered better, denser and more structured Brunellos.
Sometimes, ageability is related more to the style of producer and their terroir or current winemaking trends. More traditional styles (pre-Robert Parker) may be more tannic and rustic, which require aging to be ready while the current trend of more modern producers is to work on softening the tannins for earlier consumption but keeping the acidity. The latter might lead to a longer drinking window overall where it’s enjoyable at each stage of its evolution. However, this trend of classic modern wines is still only about 10 years old, so we’ll see how they age long term. Prior to Robert Parker’s retirement around 10 years ago, “modern” wines meant more ripeness, oak, extraction and tannins for top wines.
Aging Brunello vs. Chianti, et al
Although one would think the pinnacle of ageable Sangiovese is Brunello, which is often released at already 5 years of age and which many wine lovers don’t approach until age 10, I see some argue that top Chianti Classico ages better despite generally being considered for earlier consumption as a category. Even though Brunello is generally more expensive, fuller, denser, more alcoholic and darker, Chianti could have more longevity due to its cooler weather leading to more acidity and the fact that other varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon can be blended with it while Brunello is 100% Sangiovese by law.
Similar to Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano also makes quality age worthy Sangiovese and allows other varieties to be blended with it. Likewise, it’s generally a cooler region with lighter wines than Brunello but with a little more body than Chianti, so it’s stylistically between Brunello and Chianti.
I should also mention there are other appellations in Tuscany as well as some Super Tuscan wines that are dominated by Sangiovese, but these can come from various appellations, so again it’s even harder to generalize.
Overall, most look to Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for earlier consumption Sangiovese and try to wait at least 10 years for Brunello when earthy flavors start to combine with the big fruit and if there’s lots of oak, it’ll be better integrated by this time. Then by age 20+, you might start to get tertiary notes and the tannins become silky, but the same can be true for top Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile.
However, as I keep repeating, it really depends on vintage and producer for all these regions along with your personal preference. Perhaps you just like more acid and red fruit (which is why many fall in love with Italian wines and Sangiovese in the first place), so maybe a good Chianti Classico at 20 years will still maintain more of that freshness than a darker, more concentrated Brunello. This is why following critics’ tasting notes, community tasting notes sites like Cellartracker or wine community discussion boards like Wineberserkers are important to see how a vintage, producer or your specific wine is evolving. You have to check if those tasting notes for each individual label and vintage are matching your tasting preferences.
Another factor to consider is psychological. Given the heightened expectations, it might be easier to be disappointed after waiting so long and paying so much for Brunello. On the other hand, a cheaper Chianti Classico might more easily exceed expectations.
For this post, I have a 14+ year old Brunello to review. Most Cellartracker reviews stated that this was drinking well now, so I had reason to believe it wasn’t too early. Vintage charts also list 2010 as a Brunello vintage to drink or hold at this stage since it is a vintage with lots of ripeness but also above average acidity.
Tasting Notes
2010 Caparzo “La Casa” Brunello di Montalcino
This comes from a single vineyard location on the famous Montosoli Hill along with other big names like its sister winery Altesino, Valdicava and Pertimali.
Color shows some age. Elegant and classic style. You get spices but also floral notes. Good acid. Smooth texture at this stage. Good balance. You get tannins still that suck on your cheeks a bit but should we fine with food. Still mostly about sour cherry and spice but perhaps not the piercing acid and tannins some young Sangiovese have. Not as dark fruited as some Brunello can be too. Overall, an elegant style with obvious Italian roots; others confused it for Piedmont Nebbiolo given the elegance with power, and it’s a common mistake in blind tasting. Still lots of acidic and tannic structure to age longer but it’s not heavy or over extracted. It’s not an in-your-face Brunello. An elegant Brunello for such a big vintage and that even at this age can still be big and tannic depending on the producer. Still primary and secondary. Minor tertiary notes emerged after 4 hours open. 93. Only 2,500 cases made.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the elegant style of this wine, its pedigree and its current development make it extremely enjoyable now. If you like more tertiary notes like dried fruit and leather, then yes, you should wait longer or decant a few hours. There are certainly producers out there still making wines that are way too tannic and/or oaky to drink before 10+ years, so we can’t generalize this for all 2010 Brunello. However, this is made in a style that can be enjoyed younger and still age well and develop past 20 years too.
In terms of my palate, which likes high acid, is not that sensitive to tannins but is more sensitive to high alcohol and likes savory/earthy notes besides just fruit, this hits the spot for me. There’s also potential to gain some complexity, but the essential aspects of the wine hit the mark.
Bottom line, if you like fruit and have meaty, heavy food to match the structure of your top Sangiovese, I think more old school collectors should consider drinking these wines earlier especially given the winemaking trends today. On the other hand, not enough current wine lovers wait till their top wines gain tertiary notes, which can make the experience even more sublime.
In the future, I’ll have to compare Brunello at 20+ with a nice Chianti Classico or a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of around the same age. If Chianti ages as well or better for my palate and/or if it reaches its peak faster without all the waiting, it could save us all a lot of money and time given the price of Brunello today. I bought this 2010 at almost half the price of the current release of the same cuvee.
What is your experience aging Sangiovese? How old is your sweet spot?